Friday, May 7, 2010

Learn to Fly

Learn to Fly

In mythology, the Phoenix is a sacred bird with beautiful red and golden feathers. This bird, at the end of its life, will build a nest of twigs, lay on the nest then ignite. The bird and the nest destroyed in a fierce fire.

January 17, 1987 began as a busy Saturday for the O’Leary family, or at least that is how Susan O’Leary describes it in her inspiring book entitled, Overwhelming Odds. Susan’s husband, Denny, a successful attorney in St. Louis, was at work preparing for a Monday court hearing. She was leaving the house with their oldest daughter, Cadey, taking her to music lessons. Jim, age 17, was still sleeping. As was Amy, 11. John was nine and Susan seven, they were both awake somewhere in the house.

Laura, the youngest, a toddler of eighteen months, would be going with Susan and Cadey. A quick run through the house by Susan told everyone that they were leaving and that they would return in an hour. Susan found John in the basement, he had built a fire in the fireplace and was standing there watching the flames when she found him. That concerned her, and she told John so. “You are not to get near that fireplace unless dad or I are with you. Do you understand?” John nodded his agreement. Susan reminded him where everyone was, and that she and the two girls would be back in an hour. Then, she left.

John, earlier in the fall, had witnessed a couple of older neighborhood boys playing with gasoline and fire. They would dump out some gas, light it, then laugh at the quick ‘poof’ of fire. With the house quiet, mom and dad away, John decided he would do the same as these boys had done. He rolled a piece of paper then lit it from a fireplace flame. He carefully carried it to the garage. There, he found a five-gallon gas can in the corner. John tried to lift the can but with about three gallons of gas inside it, the can was too heavy. So, he put the paper down. The flame intensified as he did so. He intended to dump a few drops on the flame and decided that he would simply tilt the gas can over the burning paper. Leaning over the flame and gas can, he tilted the can. The gas fumes poured out of the nozzle. Before a drop of gas hit the paper, the fumes ignited. The gas can burst, covering John in gasoline. That gasoline ignited. The force of the explosion threw John backwards almost fifteen feet. Months later, the O’Leary’s would learn that the explosion was so intense; the repercussions were heard blocks away. There, in the garage, nine-year-old John’s entire body was engulfed in fire.

Susan and Denny arrived at the hospital, St. John’s Intensive Care Burn Unit. There they learned the blunt facts surrounding their son’s condition. He was burned on nearly 100% of his body. About 15% of his body had second-degree burns with the remainder, 85% of the body, at third degree severity. In places, the burns were through three layers of skin, muscle and into the bone. In the first 24-hours, the fluids pumped into John’s body to help replenish fluids lost from the event and to provide moisture to undamaged cells. The body would react to these fluids by swelling, closing his eyes and mouth. He was semiconscious.

After learning these facts, Susan asked the doctor, “Are you saying he has only a 50% chance of survival? The doctor, one of the best burn specialist in the country, responded, “Mrs. O’Leary, you do not understand what I’ve told you. I’m not a betting man, but if I were to categorize it in that fashion, I would say that John has less than a one half of 1% chance of making it through the night.”

When Susan and Denny first saw their son, John was still able to speak, his mouth had not yet swollen closed from the fluids. He asked, “Mommy, am I going to die?”

In a calm voice Susan replied, “John, do you want to die?”

“No.” was his reply.

“Then John, you are going to have to fight as hard as you have ever have in your life. You are going to have to run as fast as you ever have on the soccer field. You are going to have to give it your all.”

There is an anonymous quote that reads, “When we come to the edge of all of the light we have and we must take a step into the darkness of the unknown we must believe one of two things. Either, we will find something firm to stand on or we will be taught to fly.” Do we choose life? Do we choose life in our daily struggles or the grind of a morning commute, in an argument with our children, in turmoil at work, in our faith or in working a dead-end job.

The Phoenix, after burning and being reduced to ashes will rise again. And, in this new life, is stronger than before, able to fly higher and go further. Live and fight as hard as we have ever fought in life. Know that we will find something firm to stand or will be taught to fly. And, as for John, he followed his choice to live. He survived that first night. And slowly, painfully, day-by-day, he chose life and in so doing rose from the ashes.

Matt Forck

Matt Forck, CSP, JLW, www.thesafetysoul.org is asought after speaker and consultant. He appears at industry events and his corporate client list includes fortune 500 companies, trade associations, utility and construction companies.This story is from Matt's latest book entitled, Check Up From the Neck Up - - 101 Ways to Get Your Head in the Game of Life.

To learn more about John O'Leary and his incredible story, log onto his website; http://www.rising-above.com/
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com
google trends today, mitch hedberg, brian cushing, friday night lights season, bethenny frankel in labor, starlin castro, mexico vs ecuador 2010,
how long is iron man 2, donald glover, diphtheria, wkyc, 300 movie,
pancho manguera, bruins, inception trailer, cleveland weather, babies movie trailer, drew mcintyre, larry einhorn death, rojo johnson, funny mothers day poems

Thursday, May 6, 2010

How is the world divided?

"The world is divided into people who do things, and people who get credit. Try, if you can, to belong to the first class, there is far less competition."

Dwight Morrow
1873-1931, Businessman, Politician and Diplomat
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Set a goal...so big...that it...

"Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites you and scares you at the same time. It must be a goal that is so appealing, so much in line with your spiritual core that you can't get it out of your mind. If you do not get chills when you set a goal, you're not setting big enough goals."

Bob Proctor
Author and Speaker
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Promises, promises...

"Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible."

Hannah Arendt
1906-1975, Political Theorist
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Carefully examine the service you are rendering

"If things are not going well with you, begin your effort at correcting the situation by carefully examining the service you are rendering, and especially the spirit in which you are rendering it."

Roger Babson
1875-1967, Statistician and Columnist
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com
ellen barkin, larry einhorn, greg giraldo, myyearbook, detlef schrempf,
ira hayes, jacqui smith, ap us history practice tests, iron man 2 showtimes, eloise at the plaza, johan franzen, private practice spoilers,
yeardley love obituary, pampers recall, myy, british election 2010 results,
lawrence taylor wife, mario batali, my life is polish, barfly.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

What Will You Be Doing 7 Years From Now?

What Will You Be Doing 7 Years From Now?

I graduated from Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas in May 1972. Not dressed in white (honors), but I graduated.

That summer like the previous summer, I worked as a longshoreman loading corn, flour and corn sacks weighing 50 to 140 lbs. and 900 lbs. caustic soda drums on freight ships bound to other countries at nearby Brazos Harbor and Dow Chemical A2 Dock.

This was one of the better paying jobs in the area. It was grueling, hard, heavy work, but I loved it at the time. My father had been doing this job most of his life since it paid well.

Fall came around and I had already decided that I did not want to make my living as a longshoreman. Work was inconsistent and when it was there it only went to the ones with the most seniority, unless there was too much. There was very little opportunity for a better job when you got older.

I had always heard that a college education would get you a better job and decided to find out. So I went to nearby Brazosport College and set up an appointment with a counselor.

I got to his office at the appointed time and he asked me what work or profession interested me the most. I had taken Auto Mechanics I & II during my junior and senior years in high school and asked him if Brazosport College had an auto mechanics program.

He said "no." I asked him if they had anything similar to it. He said that the Machine Tools Technology program was very similar and described the program to me.

I was very interested and asked him how long it would take if I went full time. He said "4 years." I said I couldn't go full time since I am working (whenever work was available).

I asked how long would it take if I go part time? He said "7 years." I was shocked. I said, "Man, I'll be old then, I'll be 25 years old. I don't think so."

He asked me, "what did you say you did for a living right now?"

I told him again that I worked as a longshoreman throwing bags and manhandling drums. Then he bent over his desk and looked me square in the eye and asked me the most significant words I will never forget in my life:

"IF YOU DON'T TAKE ANY CLASSES. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 7 YEARS FROM NOW?"

These words hit me like a ton of bricks! I sheepishly told him that I would be doing the same thing. I signed up for the classes right then and there.

These prophetic words have inspired many of my relatives and friends. The sun will rise and fall 365 days a year. What you choose to do in between will determine many things in your life.

This story alone has inspired relatives and friends to realize an age-old truth: Time will go on regardless and it waits on nobody.

Years later, I told a co-worker this story. He got inspired enough that he went on and got 3 different degrees in computers in less than 7 years! He said afterwards, "7 years ago I would've been saying to myself, 'If only I had the opportunity.'"

TIME WILL PASS REGARDLESS!

Augie Mendoza
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Keep your eye fixed on the far horizon!

"Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road."

Dag Hammarskjold
1905-1961, Statesman and Secretary-General of U.N.
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Set your sights high!

"Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way."

Eileen Caddy
Author
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

When you give someone a book...

"When you give someone a book, you don't give him just paper, ink, and glue. You give him the possibility of a whole new life."

Christopher Morley
1890-1957, Novelist, Journalist and Poet
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Don't be afraid...

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so."

Belva Davis
Award-Winning Journalist
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

How Lives Change

How Lives Change

The story I am about to share with you may not be relevant to your life. But I can assure you, someone you know can benefit from it. Read this slowly and then forward it to the individuals you know who feel stuck in life.

After close to fifty years of working in the field of personal development, I am acutely aware there are many people who feel caught in a trap. They're really not sure if or how they could ever spring themselves free.

A person feels stuck when they have no hope. You see hope gives you options. And a person without hope is not able to see any other way to live than what they're doing. And what they're doing is not working.

Today I am fortunate enough to own a company that operates all over the world. I have friends in many different countries. I have a fascinating team of people that work with me. I have great business partners. And believe me when I tell you, life is good.

However, it wasn't always like that. In October of 1961, I was unhappy, I was sick and I was broke. I was earning $4,000 a year and I owed $6,000. I had absolutely no assets. My formal education consisted of two months high school. And I had no business experience and a poor work record. I was 26 years old and I honestly felt like I was trapped. Life looked to me like a dark tunnel. But then something wonderful happened. I met a man who saw something in me that I was not capable of seeing in myself. He got me to sit down and explain my situation to him. It was fairly obvious I was a lost soul.

Then he asked me what I really wanted. And I didn't know. I couldn't answer him. He made it very clear to me that my entire mental focus was on what I didn't want and why I wasn't capable of doing any better than I was doing. I was totally focused on problems and believe me I was attracting them in abundance.

The man who befriended me was Raymond Douglas Stanford. He was the first of six individuals who coached me over the past fifty years. I can honestly say these people were responsible for leading me into the bright clear light of day. They helped me recognize that I had tremendous potential, and they assisted me in developing the awareness required to live a constructive, fulfilling life. Ray Stanford also made me aware that the mental prison I had confined myself in had no locks. I was capable of walking out of it at any time I pleased, but I didn't know how.

And I believe there are a lot of people today especially in the economy we are experiencing who may be losing a home or a job, who's attitude has been impacted by what's going on in their world. Many of these people feel there's no answer to their dilemma. They could and probably are doing what I was doing when I met Ray. They're focused on their present situation. The doom and gloom is filling their mind. And they have to do what Ray taught me to do - clear your mind for a moment. Make believe everything is fine, and think about what you really want. Because that is what Ray did for me. Then he began to explain to me how everyone including me has infinite potential and the difference in people is the choices they make and how they utilize the potential that God gave them.

It's as Steve Bow, who was the Vice President of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, once said, "God's gift to us is more talent and ability than we'll ever hope to use in our lifetime. Our gift to God is to develop as much of that talent and ability as we can in our lifetime."

Raymond introduced me to Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich and he spent a lot of time explaining to me what Napoleon Hill had written about. He explained that the premise that served as the foundation for Napoleon Hill's life's work was the following: "Anything the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. " Ray made it clear that the operative word in Hill's premise was "believe." He said everyone's imagination brings beautiful pictures to the screen of a person's mind. However, only a very small percentage of the world's population ever achieves the beauty or the abundance that flows across their mind from time to time. And he said the reason people don't achieve the good that they desire is for the simple reason they don't believe it. Ray pointed out to me that if you hear anything often enough you will begin to believe it. And when you believe it, you'll achieve it. This is true of good and bad in our life.

Ray explained that if I would read Think and Grow Rich often enough and visit with him frequently to receive the support I required that I could literally turn my dreams into reality. I'll be honest with you, I did not believe him. But I did believe that he believed it. He actually believed that I could do better. And it was his belief in me that moved me on to the right side of the road.

I was prepared to do anything honest to earn some money, and I started to clean offices in my spare time. In less than five years, I had a company that was cleaning offices in Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta and London, England. My life was changing and it was changing rapidly. But as Ray pointed out to me, what was really changing was my attitude and my belief about what I was capable of doing. And he made it clear to me that was happening because I was listening to someone that knew more than I did and was eager to help me.

I got so involved in studying Napoleon Hill's work that I was led to Earl Nightingale's condensed narration of Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich. Now I was reading the book and listening to a long playing record. I was developing a greater awareness. What I was actually doing was getting good advice from people who demonstrated by results they knew what they were doing.

Prior to meeting Ray Stanford I spent all my time talking to and listening to people that didn't know any more than me, people who were living in the same situation I was living in, who sympathized with my negative perception of life and why I couldn't win.

A number of years after Ray introduced me to Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich and Earl Nightingale's condensed narration of it, I left my own business and went to work with Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant of the Nightingale Conant Corporation. It was then that my progress moved on to a fast track. Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant became my two new coaches. It was through them that I was introduced to two other men that had a profound impact on my life - Leland Val Van De Wall and Dr. C. Harry Roder. These four men taught me more about the mind over the next four or five years than most people would ever learn in an entire lifetime. And it was there and then that I made up my mind I would spend the rest of my life teaching what I had learned to everyone and anyone who had a sincere desire to win, to improve the quality of their life, to live the abundant life which is our birthright.

My basic nature is that I am a quiet, shy, withdrawn individual. There are many people in the world that would not believe that because they only know me as they see me today, but I can assure you 42 years ago, that described me perfectly. It was then that I met Bill Gove who was considered the Frank Sinatra of public speakers. I watched him speaking on a stage at the O'Hare Hyatt Hotel in Chicago, and I thought "wow is he ever good." And I thought if I could do what he does, I could teach what I know to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people. And I thought "but I can't do that." It was at that very point that a record started to play in my head. It was a record I'd listened to thousands of times. It was a recording called the Magic Word, and it was a record on attitude.

At one point in the recording Earl said "Now right here we come to a strange fact. We tend to minimize the things that we can do, the goals that we can accomplish, and for some equally strange reason we think other people can do things that we cannot." He said, "I want you to understand that is not true. You have deep reservoirs of talent and ability within you. You're capable of doing anything you desire."

As I said, I probably listened to that recording thousands of times. And if you asked me if I understood it, I would have said, of course I do. But as I watched Bill Gove stand on that stage and through his public speaking ability have that audience in the palm of his hand as I was thinking I wish I could do that but I can't, that record of Earl's started playing in my head and I suddenly realized "That' s what Earl means! -- If Bill Gove can do it, I can do it!" And I made a decision there and then that I would not only learn how to speak in public as well as he was speaking, I would have him teach me how to do it, and he did.

He was the sixth coach that I've had. And today I am comfortable on a stage in front of thousands of people sharing this wonderful information that helps anyone understand regardless of their situation there is a way for them to win. Today I'm living my dream. Through our coaching program we train thousands of people to change their situation and begin living the way they really want. We show individuals how to multiply their income, how to develop meaningful relationships, how to build their companies into global organizations, and we point out it all begins in their own marvelous mind.

I will forever be grateful to the individuals that coached me - that helped me understand we all have tremendous power within us. And life can be wonderful, but we must make it that way. The people I've just written about showed me how to do it. And they made it very clear to me that if I really wanted to be happy in life, that I should spend the rest of my life showing people what they taught me.

Bob Proctor
Bob Proctor was inspired to create his own coaching program in partnership with Carol Gates. They now coach people in 87 different countries. Bob and Carol have a comprehensive program where they work with you every week for 13 months to create life changing results.
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Which thoughts are the most valuable?

"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable."

Francis Bacon
1561-1626, Philosopher, Statesman, Scientist and Author
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

What do the people want?

"When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say."

Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865, 16th President of the United States
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Sticks of dynamite?

"People are like sticks of dynamite. The power is on the inside, but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit."

Mac Anderson
Author
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

What is a dream?

"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown."

Denis Waitley
Author and Speaker
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Bless this situation...

"Bless a thing and it will bless you. Curse it and it will curse you. If you bless a situation, it has no power to hurt you."

Emmet Fox
1886-1951, Spiritual Leader
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

What is the mark of a great player?

"The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat."

Sam Snead
1912-2002, Golfer
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com

Prosperity consciousness...

"Prosperity consciousness is the awareness that all of us have something of value to offer, and we all deserve to get paid for what we provide to others."

Peggy McColl
Author of Viral Explosions: Proven Techniques to Expand, Explode, or Ignite Your Business Or Brand Online
http://www.getgreatdealstoday.com/offer/apply/26157/1830/20640
http://www.mycustomeventplanner.com